Diablo II: Lord of Destruction
by reptilia28
Summary: This is my novelisation of the D2:LoD game. It starts with a Necromancer, but all characters will be introduced eventually. Rating may go up eventually. ABANDONED!
1. The Den of Evil

Disclaimer: Diablo is property of Blizzard Entertainment. No money is being made from this.

This is my first Diablo FF, so PLEASE be gentle. Please?

Chapter 1 – The Den of Evil

A cloaked man wandered, seemingly aimlessly through the plains of Westmarch. Clutching a wooden wand in one hand, and a bloody bag in the other, he dragged his feet through the mud as he made his way to a nearby encampment. When he had gotten no closer than fifteen paces from the encampment entrance, an arrow shot at the ground near his foot, stopping his progress.

"Halt!" a feminine voice shouted. The man looked up towards the source of the voice. It was a woman, no older than twenty-five. Her body was covered with leather, although most of her legs and arms were exposed. Her hair was limp and wet, most likely from the rain that had passed mere minutes before. She had a bow in her hand, drawn and ready to fire. "Who goes there?"

"I am a weary traveler, seeking shelter from the wilderness!" the man shouted in reply. "I humbly request that you allow me sanctuary within your encampment!"

For a moment, he received no response.

"I cannot let you into the encampment!" the guard shouted at last. The man sighed; he knew that it wouldn't be this easy. Slipping his wand into his belt, he reached into his bag.

"Perhaps _this_ will allow me entry!" he shouted. He pulled out a long length of rope, approximately seven feet in length, from his bag. And strung along the rope were the decapitated heads of six Fallen demons, their faces contorted to the ugly grimaces of death.

He waited, holding the grim trophies high, waiting for a response. Finally, the woman lowered her bow. Putting the string of heads back into his bag, he walked past her without a word, dropping the sack at her feet. The man looked around at the humble sight before him.

There were several tents set up around the camp. Near the entrance was a large campfire, being tended by a man in loose blue clothes. Standing near the fire was a redheaded woman dressed in chain mail, who emanated an aura of strength around her. She was obviously the captain of the archers.

Further into the encampment, there was a large wagon behind a round man dressed in white, with a towel around his neck, laughing heartily at himself.

At the very back was a makeshift smithy, with a large blonde woman hammering at a sword. Her body seemed to be made from pure muscle.

To the right was a tent with a small cauldron bubbling, along with various trinkets. But there seemed to be no one there.

The man sat down on a large chest next to the fire, ignoring the look of obvious displeasure coming from the woman. The man in the blue clothes looked up and smiled cheerfully.

"Greetings, stranger! I am Warriv," he said, extending his hand. Hesitantly, the hooded man took it.

"Korven," he said simply. Warriv took out a small loaf of bread and tore it in two, offering half to Korven. He took the offering and nibbled at the hard bread without a word.

"Where did my seat come from?" Korven asked suddenly. Warriv, his mouth full of bread, looked confused for a moment, then looked down at the chest Korven was sitting on, and shrugged.

"'Twas hear when I arrived some two months ago. I don't know who owned it before, but I've seen no one claim it." They continued to eat in silence until a woman in purple robes walked towards them.

"May I see you in my tent, stranger?" the woman asked, her features hidden by her hood. Korven merely nodded in agreement, before offering his unfinished bread back to Warriv.

When Korven and the old woman walked into her tent, he saw various ingredients for potion making on little shelves and hanging from the poles. There were also various scented candles strewn throughout the tent. Sitting down on a fur mat, the woman lowered her hood. She was an older woman, easily in her fifties, but unnamed horrors had taken their toll on her, making her appear much older. Her hair was short and black, with white mixed in. She looked up at Korven with her gray eyes and offered a seat. He sat down and lowered his hood. His hair was long and white, but his skin was pale and drawn tightly against his face, making it unclear as to his age.

The woman looked at him, her face betraying no emotion.

"I am Akara, High Priestess of the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye. You are a priest of Rathma, are you not?" Korven merely nodded in confirmation. "I believed so, traveler. I welcome you to our camp, but I'm afraid I can offer you but poor shelter within these rickety walls. You see, our ancient Sisterhood has fallen under a strange curse. The mighty Citadel from which we have guarded the gates to the East for generations has been corrupted by the evil Demoness, Andariel." Then, tears started welling up in Akara's eyes. "I still can't believe it…but she turned many of our sister Rogues against us and drove us from our ancestral home. Now the last defenders of our Sisterhood are either dead or scattered throughout the wilderness. I implore you, stranger. Please help us. Find a way to list this curse and we will pledge our loyalty to you for all time."

Korven bowed his head in respect. "By the glory of Trang-Oul, I will help you in any way I can, Priestess Akara."

Akara remained silent, although she seemed pensive. Finally, she spoke up.

"I do not care for your practices, Necromancer, but as a fellow practitioner in the magicks, I respect the powers at your disposal, and any help is welcome. So therefore, I shall speak to you in a matter I have been hesitant about.

"There is a place of great evil in the wilderness. Kashya's rogue scouts have informed me that a cave nearby is filled with shadowy creatures and horrors from beyond the grave. I fear that these creatures are massing for an attack against our encampment. If you are sincere about helping us, find the dark labyrinth and destroy the foul beasts. May the Great Eye be with you." She also offered two scrolls, one in red and the other in blue. Taking the scrolls, Korven bowed his head, and left the tent.

As he walked to the chest, Korven heard two women arguing. Figuring it was none of his concern, he simply ignored it.

Korven opened the chest and, seeing that it was empty, took off his cloak and flung it in. Not dressed in only gray pants, an open black leather shirt, and simple cloth shoes, Korven strapped on a small buckler and walked out of the encampment.

Korven turned around to see the string of heads that he had brought had been hung over the wall, probably as a ward against other demons who tried to attack. Grinning to himself, he muttered, "All who oppose me, beware."

About quarter of a mile from the encampment, Korven found the small Fallen camp that he had decimated hours before.

Six of the corpses had been decapitated, and would serve Korven no use. There was one corpse, however, that was intact, and would serve his purposes well. Shooing away the scavengers that had congregated to feast on the rotting flesh, Korven began his ritual on the Fallen corpse.

"_Orior oriri ortus quod victum meus hostilis_," he chanted, shaking his wand over the corpse as he did so, and then stepped back.

At first, nothing happened. Then the body started convulsing, and blood and gore exploded around as the small demon's skeleton tore itself from its flesh. The bones began to lengthen and alter their shape, until a perfect human skeleton stood before Korven, armed with a simple hatchet made from bone.

Satisfied with his work, Korven walked deeper into the wilderness, his undead servant following mutely behind him.

Korven wandered through the bloody moor for what seemed like hours. Korven and his skeleton companion had slaughtered countless Fallen, Quill Rats, and even a few Zombies, but beyond a few pieces of gold and a leather shirt that offered some form of protection for his exposed chest, Korven reaped little reward for his efforts, and certainly did not find this alleged "Den of Evil" that he had been sent to cleanse.

Thinking that this endeavor had simply been a story fabricated to get him killed, or at least away from the encampment, the frustrated Necromancer began his journey back to sanctuary, when he saw a cave mouth. It was so large, that Korven mentally chastised himself for not finding it sooner. Crude images of skulls and horned demons were painted on the surrounding rock.

Stepping closer, Korven sensed an aura of evil emanating from the dark pit.

Figuring that this was the Den of Evil, Korven slowly walked into the den, his Skeleton following him.

Even with his eyes used to darkness, Korven found it difficult to see in the dank cave. Sending his Skeleton ahead of him, Korven cautiously explored the cave.

It wasn't long before Korven spotted a campfire, the high-pitched shouts of "Colenzo!" and "Rakanishu!" deeming it a Fallen camp.

Korven quietly snuck up on the red demons. Holding out his wand, he muttered a spell. "_Bis poena_," the Necromancer whispered, and ethereal flames started dancing around the demons' heads.

While they looked around in confusion, jibbering in their strange tongues, the Skeleton walked up and swungs its hatchet, nearly cleaving the nearest Fallen in two. Korven grinned to himself; the Amplify Damage curse made attacks to the flesh more potent; attacking such a weak demon like a Fallen would be like chopping rotten fruit.

Stepping out into the open, Korven raised his wand and cast another spell: "_Animositas dentibus_!" he shouted. Two magical teeth shot out of the end of his wand, blowing off the heads of two Fallen. Within minutes, the entire encampment was slain.

Even though he and his Skeleton companion slew countless Fallen, Zombies, and even a couple of Wendigoes ("Smelly bastards," Korven muttered disdainfully.), Korven was growing bored. He had not spotted any monsters that were a challenge. Then he saw a cluster of about six Zombies shambling around a blue Zombie.

Korven and his Skeleton quickly picked off the normal Zombies, leaving only the blue one.

"_Iiiii…ah…Coshiyehhhh…_" the Zombie growled, its jaw hanging loosely. Not impressed, Korven merely snapped his fingers, and the Skeleton prepared to attack. But the Zombie got the first hit in, and the Skeleton staggered under the Zombie's surprisingly strong blow, sparks jumping from its fists upon impact.

Unfazed, the Skeleton continued its attack, this time managing to hack one arm off. But using its other arm, the Zombie mauled Korven's Skeleton again, this time shattering it in a shower of ice. Now Korven was nervous.

Korven hastily cast another Skeleton, and cast another Amplify Damage curse on it. This time, it fell easily to the Skelton's onslaught.

After making sure that it was dead, Korven carefully checked the Zombie's corpse. He found some gold, a pair of gloves of decent quality, a small potion vial with blue liquid, and a serrated knife.

Intrigued by the weapon, Korven unraveled the red scroll and laid the knife on top of the parchment. After a moment, words began scrawling on the parchment, as if written by an invisible hand.

"Jagged Dagger," Korven read aloud. "A jagged dagger will do slightly more damage to flesh than a smooth blade." Then the parchment disintegrated into dust.

Sliding the dagger into his trousers, Korven broke the seal of the blue scroll and threw it in front of him. Almost immediately, the parchment glowed and morphed into a blue-and-black portal. Korven stepped through it, and found himself back at the Rogue encampment.

"Stand by the fire," Korven told his Skeleton. The undead sentinel for its part just walked to the prescribed destination, oblivious to the piercing glares it got from Kashya. Korven then went to Akara's tent to tell her of his feats.

"Gods bless us, you have cleansed the Den of Evil," Akara exclaimed, after hearing of Korven's adventure. "Thank you, Korven, You have gained my trust, and may yet restore my faith in humanity. Go now, you deserve some rest." Bowing his head, Korven walked to the large chest by the fire and curled up next to it, to sleep till morning.

A/N: Well, love it? Hate it? Please review and tell me your opinion!

Oh, and for those who are wondering why I butchered Corpsefire's name, try opening your mouth, then say "I am Corpsefire" without moving your jaw. See what I mean?


	2. Blood Raven

Disclaimer: Diablo is property of Blizzard Entertainment. No money is being made off this.

And thank you for the reviews and, in Cynical Gaze's case, the suggestions for improvement. They are much appreciated.

Chapter 2 – Blood Raven

The next morning, Korven could feel the presence of someone standing above him. He cracked his eyes open to see Kashya looming over him.

"What do you want?" he muttered sleepily.

"On your feet, death-mage! I have a job for you," Kashya replied gruffly. Muttering curses under his breath, Korven pulled himself onto his feet. "You may have won Akara's trust, but it'll take more than killing a few Zombies to gain my allegiance."

"Go on," Korven groaned, still not quite awake.

"My Rogue scouts have reported an abomination in the Monastery graveyard! Apparently, Andariel is not content on taking only our living. Blood Raven, one of our finest captains in the battle against Diablo at Tristram, was also one of the first to be corrupted by Andariel.

"Now you will find her in the Monastery graveyard beyond the Cold Plains, raising our dead as Zombies! We cannot abide this defilement! If you are truly our ally, you will help us destroy her." Korven stared blankly for a moment, processing all this new information, then he nodded.

"Very well. I will kill Blood Raven for you…" Kashya nodded her head in acknowledgement. "…After I get something to eat." Korven then pushed his way past Kashya to find some form of sustenance.

An hour later, Korven found himself wandering towards the Cold Plains, his Skeleton following dutifully behind him. He had been told to follow the beaten path through the Blood Moor (as Korven had learned that the immediate area was called), and he will eventually find the Burial Grounds.

What they had failed to tell him was that there was someone guarding the pathway.

"What is your business here?!" the Rogue named Flavie shouted after firing a warning shot at Korven, narrowly missing his head. Sighing in exasperation, Korven replied, "I have been sent by Kashya to cleanse the Monastery Graveyard of Blood Raven and her cohorts!" After considering this, Flavie lowered her bow.

"You may pass, stranger. But know that there are Corrupted Rogues and other foul things beyond that would like nothing better than to kill you on sight."

At first, Korven said nothing. But as he walked by, he said blandly, "I'm a Necromancer, woman. Someone is _always_ trying to kill me."

Almost as soon as he entered the Cold Plains, Korven knew why it was so called: an unnatural force seemed to drop the temperature in the area, even though the weather was comfortable mere minutes before. While his Skeleton remained oblivious to the chill, Korven couldn't help but shiver.

About ten minutes after he had entered the Cold Plains, Korven saw something just off the path. Korven went to investigate and saw a large stone square, out in the middle of the wilderness. Carved into the stone was a circle surrounding a simple cross, with two craters about the size of his open palm on either side. The rest of the platform was covered in runes that Korven could not decipher. _Horadric Waypoints_, he thought. _I have heard of them in my teachings as a spellcaster, but have never seen one. I wonder how they work_.

Shrugging his shoulders, Korven decided to take a gamble and step on the Waypoint. As soon as Korven stood in the center of the circle, the runes and circle had started to glow pale blue. After a moment, the glow faded away, and the empty craters suddenly burst with blue flames. Korven figured that this meant the Waypoint was now active.

Korven closed his eyes and envisioned himself standing on the similar Waypoint that he had seen in the Rogue Encampment. Korven felt a tingling sensation and a rush of wind. He opened his eyes to find himself standing back in the Rogue Encampment, just like he had imagined. Although strangely enough, his Skeleton, who was standing just outside the Waypoint, was now by his side. Shrugging, Korven teleported himself back to the Cold Plains to continue his mission.

However, when he returned, he had an unpleasant surprise waiting for him.

Roughly ten yards from his position was a scouting party of five women. However, unlike the Rogues that he had just left, their skin was ashen gray, like that of a corpse's. They wore scraps of leather that barely covered their modesty, their breasts jiggling slightly as they walked. However, Korven was not so much concerned about their cleavage as much as the swords and axes that they held in their hands.

Although at the moment, they did not seem to notice him, Korven wasn't willing to take any chances, and raised his wand at them.

"_Animositas dentibus_," Korven muttered, and two Teeth shot out of his wand, hitting two of the Corrupted Rogues. As they died, Korven thought he saw two human-shaped spirits rise from their bodies for a brief moment. The remaining three turned their heads at him, giving him no time to ponder the event.

"Kill him!" the leader shouted, and the three charged at him, weapons raised. Korven sent his Skeleton ahead to distract them, then raised his wand again, then muttered, "_Bis poena_." He grinned as the Amplify Damage curse took effect, and then put away his wand in favor of his new dagger.

The first Corrupted Rogue swung her sword at Korven's Skeleton, who parried the blow with its own hatchet, then brought it down upon her, cleaving her head almost completely in half. Its face splattered with blood and brains, the Skeleton turned to engage a second Rogue.

Korven, on the other hand, was having significantly more trouble. Not being very adept at hand-to-hand combat, Korven swung his dagger blindly at the third Corrupted Rogue, while parrying her attacks with his buckler.

Korven got a lucky hit, and slashed the Corrupted Rogue's throat, which, when combining the dagger's already superior damage with the effects of his curse, tore almost halfway through her neck.

As the Rogue fell, a pale blue spirit in the shape of a human female jumped from her body, and then faded into thin air. That time, Korven knew that he hadn't been seeing things.

Korven turned around to see his Skeleton finish off the last Corrupted Rogue, covered with blood and gore.

Nodding in approval, Korven shook his wand over a corpse and chanted, "_Orior oriri ortus quod victum meus hostilis_." Just as before, a Skeleton peeled its way from the flesh, although this time, it carried a scimitar of bone.

As Korven plowed on through the Cold Plains, killing countless Zombies, Fallen, and Corrupted Rogues along the way, the Necromancer finally came across a pair of rusty gates leading to the cemetery.

Slowly pushing the gates open, Korven and his two Skeletons snuck in, trying not to be too noisy. But it was all for naught when an arrow nicked Korven's side, making him scream in pain.

Clutching his side, Korven looked up to see a horde of yellowing Skeletons similar to his own, as well as sickly-green Zombies. And in the center of them all was a Corrupt Rogue much like the ones he had slain in the wilderness. However, her armor was silver and blood-red, and she wore a horned helmet. She wielded a long bow, an arrow already poised for release.

"Join my army of the dead," she hissed, her sibilant voice sending a chill down Korven's spine.

"I'd rather not, thank you," Korven said defiantly as he rolled to dodge another arrow. He ordered his Skeletons to attack, and then cast an Amplify Damage curse on the undead horde to weaken them.

The two Skeletons used their weapons to cleave flesh and shatter bones, while Korven cast his Teeth at Blood Raven, who managed to dodge his attacks.

When she saw that her forces had been decimated, she shot a flaming arrow at Korven to distract him, then raised her hand and started to chant.

"_Orior oriri ortus , meus mortuus mancipium_," she chanted. As soon as the words had escaped her lips, five new Zombies sprung forth from the graves.

Cursing to himself, Korven started firing madly at Blood Raven as she alternated between firing at him and running away. Korven grinned in satisfaction when she screamed in pain, one of the Teeth delivering a lucky blow through her knee joint, crippling her.

Blood Raven shot an arrow at Korven desperately, who simply blocked it with his shield. When he got close enough, he kicked the bow out of her hands and hoisted her up by her throat. Then he brought her close to his face and whispered, "Go to hell," before he stabbed her in the abdomen with his dagger.

Gasping in pain, she crumpled to the ground, sliding off of Korven's dagger. She released an inhuman scream as lightning bolts shot from the wound in her abdomen, striking down every Zombie in the cemetery.  
When all undead were struck down, the lightning dissipated. Gasping her final breaths, she looked directly at Korven.

"Thank…you…" she whispered, before her soul drifted away from her body, and her eyes went empty.

Korven fell to his knees in exhaustion. He gingerly took off his armor, and his shirt, to inspect the wound on his side. It wasn't deep, but it still caused him a lot of pain, so he took one of the red potions that he had clipped to his trousers. Pulling the cork out, and poured the red liquid inside. Korven inhaled sharply as the wound hissed and sizzled under the potion, but the pain quickly abated, and all that was left was a thin pink scar.

Putting his clothes back on, Korven raided Blood Raven's corpse to find any useful items. He found a healing potion, a purse that was rather heavy with gold, a seemingly magical amulet, and a Scroll of Town Portal.

Korven stared at the corpse, wondering what to do with it. Finally, he came to a decision. He straightened Blood Raven's limbs, and closed her eyes, so that she seemed to be asleep. _I may dabble with the dead, but I still have respect for them_, he thought to himself. Picking up Blood Raven's bow, he activated the Town Portal scroll and found himself in the Rogue Encampment once more.

Korven entered Kashya's tent, and extended the hand holding the bow.

"Kashya, captain of the Rogue Sisterhood, I offer you the bow of Blood Raven, as proof of my victory." Kashya slowly took the bow from his hands and ran her fingers over it.

"Blood Raven was once one of my closest friends," Kashya whispered. "It pains me to have ordered it, but it was necessary." Her eyes glistened, and for a moment, Korven thought she would have cried, but she steeled herself once more. "I suppose I should give you your reward now." Giving a half-hearted shrug, Kashya shoved her way past him outside.

"Kyle!" she shouted. A few minutes later, the Rogue named Kyle came and stood at attention. Korven recognized her as the Rogue that guarded the gate yesterday.

"Yes, captain?" Kyle said.

"I have decided a suitable punishment for your stupidity," Kashya said sharply. Korven figured that it was for allowing him entry. "Since you allowed this…Necromancer into our encampment," Kashya continued, "you will now serve under his command. You are to follow him and fight for him until either he dismisses you, or one of you dies."

"What?!" Kyle shouted, outraged. "You can't do that!"

"I already have," Kashya said simply, before reentering her tent. Now that Kashya was no longer there, Kyle simply glared at Korven for her current predicament.

"What shall I do now, _master_?" Kyle said, emphasizing "master" to show her anger. Korven, however, wasn't fazed.

"Get some sleep. I have a feeling I'll be going on another suicide mission tomorrow, and you're coming with me this time." Kyle nodded, but still glared daggers at him, before walking off, trying her best not to remain calm. Sighing, Korven walked to Akara's tent.

"Hello, Korven, I did not expect you to come here," Akara said. "Please, sit." Korven, however, shook his head.

"I will not be here long," he said. Akara raised an eyebrow, and Korven explained. "I am here to tell you something about my previous mission that I did not tell Kashya: when Blood Raven was dying, Andariel's hold on her broke. In her final breaths, she looked me in the eye, and thanked me. Because of that flicker of humanity, I have left the body in the best condition I could. It awaits you in the cemetery for a proper burial." Akara digested this for a moment, and then nodded her head.

"Thank you for this, Korven. It would seem that I have been wrong about you; you do have a bit of compassion within you." Not quite sure what to make of this, Korven simply muttered his thanks and curled up by his chest to rest for the coming day.

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A/N: Please tell me what you think.

Starting next chapter, I am going to start introducing the other classes into the story. Look in my profile for details.

For Cynical Gaze: At size 13 Times New Roman font, this chapter is about 4-1/2 pages long on Microsoft Word, not including disclaimer and Author's Notes.


	3. Ordan Lupis

Disclaimer: I don't own Blizzard, I don't own Diablo, blah, blah, blah.

Well, at the unanimous vote of **_ONE_**, the Druid shall be the next class to be brought in.

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Chapter 3 – Ordan Lupis

Korven awoke the next day feeling refreshed from the previous day's exhilarations.

"Sir?" a voice behind him said. He turned around to see a young girl – no older than seventeen – standing before him.

"Yes…?" he asked.

"Akara wishes to speak with you." Korven suppressed a sigh. _What do I have to do this time?_

"Thank you. Could you do me a favor and find Kyle for me? Thanks." With that, he stepped around her to speak with Akara.

As he stepped into the tent, Korven saw Akara tending to a small cauldron bubbling with red liquid, probably healing potion.

"You asked to see me, Priestess?"

"Yes, I did. Please, sit." Korven complied. "Korven, it is clear that we are facing an evil difficult to comprehend, let alone combat. There is only one Horadrim Sage, schooled in the most arcane history and lore, who could help us...his name is Deckard Cain. You must travel to Tristram and find him. I pray that he still lives." This last sentence piqued Korven's curiosity.

"What do you mean, 'If he still lives'?" Akara sighed.

"You know the story of the three heroes that conquered Diablo some months ago?" Korven nodded simply. "Well, it is said that while the Rogue returned home to us, the Warrior and the Sorcerer left Tristram. No more than a week later, demons started pouring from the Labyrinth like a flood. The whole town was decimated, and we had no choice but to seal the passageway." Akara pulled out a large scroll. It looked dark and shriveled, like it had been made out of tree bark.

"This scroll was crafted out of the bark of the sacred Tree of Infuiss. These five runes mark the order that the Cairn Stones in the Stony Fields must be touched in order to recreate the passageway into Tristram. This was given about a week ago from another mysterious hero, like yourself. He has not been seen from since. I believe that you will make better use of it. Now that you have activated the Horadric Waypoint, Kyle will show you the way to the Cairn Stones." Korven couldn't help but scoff at this.

"Kyle? The girl that Kashya offered as my 'reward'? She'll probably lead me into a cave full of Wendigoes just to get rid of me. She trusts me about as far as she can throw me."

"Then she must trust you a fair deal, Necromancer," Akara said, her lips turning upwards in a grin, "for she is stronger than she appears. Not as much as Charsi, by far, but enough to throw you a yard or so." Korven frowned at this. He was not fond of the concept of being thrown by a _woman_.

Shaking his head, Korven bought a Tome of Town Portal and a Tome of Identification with what little gold he had gathered so far, and left to find Kyle waiting for him by the fire, trying not to look nervous around the two Skeletons that waited mutely for orders.

"Akara says that you are to take me to the Cairn Stones in the Stony Fields to rescue Deckard Cain." Kyle rolled her eyes and grabbed her bow.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go," she sighed, heading for the entrance to the encampment.

But before she could take two steps, Korven coughed loudly, and Kyle turned around to see Korven and his Skeletons standing on the Waypoint.

"This way's faster," he said simply. Warily, she stood in the stone circle and immediately found herself standing in the Cold Plains. "Well, now that we're here," Korven said, "lead the way." Kyle pointed in the direction they should go, and they wandered towards the Stony Fields.

Neither of them noticed the lone raven flying above them.

When Korven and Kyle entered the Stony Fields, it quickly became apparent why it was named so. There were rocks and boulders everywhere, and very little grew from the ground beyond the hardiest of weeds. Kyle continued walking towards the Cairn Stones, but stopped when she noticed that Korven was not following her. She turned around to see him waving his wand and muttering in some strange language. Before she could investigate, he stopped, and a large creature sprung from the earth. It was slightly shorter than her, but very burly, with vaguely human features. But what shocked her was that it was made entirely out of mud and clay.

"What?" Korven asked, waving his hand in front of her face. "Never seen a Clay Golem before? Let's go." Shaking her head, Kyle led them to the Cairn Stones.

Again, neither noticed the ground shifting as a vine followed them from behind.

No more than five minutes later, Korven saw a familiar sight of a Fallen camp. But the occupants were different. They were blue. They all seemed to be led by a taller being with large horns and a staff. _A Shaman_, Korven thought bitterly. This was not good.

Kyle took aim and fired at the nearest Carver demon, slaying it in one blow. Grinning, she nocked another arrow, but her smile faded when she saw the demon get back up.

"Shee kalki boop ka!" it shouted, obviously angry that it had just been shot. It turned around to see the intruders. "Gook nee! Gook nee!" it screamed, before Kyle shot another arrow into its head, silencing it. But by then, the other Carvers had noticed the small group and charged towards them, all ten of them. The two Skeletons and the Golem stemmed the flow, while Kyle and Korven shot them down from a distance. But it seemed that every time one would fall, it would just get back up. Korven looked beyond the battle to see the Carver Shaman chanting and waving its staff around.

"Kyle!" Korven shouted. "Shoot that one!" Kyle took aim and fired an arrow at the Shaman, hitting it dead between the eyes. After that, it was a simple affair to slaughter the lesser demons. Korven stood over one of the corpses and rattled his wand, chanting. Soon enough, another Skeleton sprung forth from the corpse.

Korven saw something hanging from the Carver Shaman's wrist. Korven pulled it off to see that it was a charm, about the size of his palm.

Sensing something magical about it, Korven tore out a page from his Tome of Identification, and placed the charm on it. As before, an invisible hand wrote a message on the parchment.

_Small Charm of Greed. The prescribed effect for these charms is that it magically increases the amount of gold in someone's pocket. However, most times the only pocket that it fills up is the con man selling these trinkets, for they seldom work. Sometimes, a legitimate charm that increases one's wealth will emerge, but for the most part, it is simply a marketing ploy to separate a foolish traveler from his gold._ Figuring it couldn't hurt to have one, Korven tied it to his wrist, and they set off.

Their feeling of celebration was short-lived, however, for the two adventurers had stumbled onto a group of seven Goatmen. With the bodies of men and the cloven feet and horned heads of goats, these demons were ugly and vicious. However, one stood out among them. While the rest of the group had brown fur, one had red fur tinged with orange.

Kyle drew her bow and Korven raised his wand at the group.

"_Animositas dentibus_!" he shouted. Two teeth shot out from his wind, while an arrow simultaneously shot from Kyle's bow. They both hit their mark, but miraculously, neither did little more than cause a flesh wound.

The entire group charged at them. The Skeletons fought bravely, but soon fell to the relentless onslaught of the Goatmen. The leader swung its axe at the Golem. When it struck, a burst of flame shot from the impact point, leaving a large scorch mark where it hit.

The two warriors fired arrows and Teeth at the group, but did relatively little damage, killing only two.

When at last, the great sentinel fell, the group advanced on the two humans, but stopped when a raven swooped down on the leader's head. It bleated in anguish and swung its axe wildly as the bird pecked the Goatman's eyes out. Then, three wolves sprung forth into the fray. The wolves tore at the demons' flesh, while a green, thorned vine sprung forth from the ground and wrapped itself around another Goatman's neck, strangling it and injecting its toxins into the demon's bloodstream.

Having done its duty, the raven jumped off the lead Goatman's head, revealing two empty sockets where its eyes once were. It swung its axe blindly, trying to hit whatever it could. But one wolf reached up and grabbed the axe in mid-swing and tugged it from its hand. Throwing the weapon aside, it lunged forward and tore the demon's throat out, killing it.

Tossing aside the carcass like a rag doll, the creature stood to its full height, showing that it was not a wolf, but a Werewolf. Raising its head to the sky, it howled in triumph, its two lesser kin doing the same.

The Werewolf turned its attention to Korven and Kyle, who were aiming their weapons at it. The creature stood up and howled again, which quickly changed to a scream as the Werewolf shifted back into its human form.

"My apologies if I frightened you," the man said, his voice slightly hoarse. "My name is Ordan Lupis, and I am a Druid."

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A/N: Alrighty, chapter 3 has FINALLY been written. Yay me.

I just want to warn my loyal readers (which at the moment seems to be Evil Fang, since he's the only one who reviewed both chapters), that the evil writer's block is beginning to set in, so chapter output may be longer. Just FYI.

Any votes for Druids as per the instructions in my profile will be ignored.

And people, _PLEASE_ R&R! I don't write this stuff for my health, you know!


	4. The Rescue of Cain

A/N: I just want to express my thanks to those who have been patient in waiting for my update. I might have updated a little sooner, but I just returned from vacation in California, so I haven't been around a computer for extended periods of time until this past Wednesday. Again, thank you for being patient.

Disclaimer: I do not own Blizzard or Diablo, blah, blah, blah….

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Chapter 4 – The Rescue of Cain

The man who identified himself as Ordan Lupis towered over Korven by at least three inches. While he wore a shirt of chain mail, Korven could see the skins of foxes and other small woodland animals poking out from underneath it. He held a mace in his right hand while his left held a large bronze shield. He wore a goatee and orange hair tied back into a ponytail poked out from beneath his helmet, which seemed to be made from a wolf's head.

None of which eased Korven or Kyle's tension and suspicion towards this stranger.

Noticing the arrow and various weapons pointed at him, Ordan slid his mace into his belt and took off his wolf head, revealing piercing green eyes.

"I understand your suspicions of me," he stated in a calm, almost friendly tone. "And you are wondering how I knew you were here, yes?" Neither one responded. "I had just returned from delivering the Infuiss scroll to Akara, and went off to cleanse a cave in the Cold Plains. When I returned, I saw a man with long, white hair in the camp." The raven swooped down and perched itself on Ordan's shoulder, its beak and feathers glistening with blood. "I did not know if you could be trusted, so I stayed back a safe distance, and sent Lumin here to watch you," he continued, stroking the raven affectionately. "I seek the same goal as you, Necromancer: to rescue Deckard Cain, and in time, vanquish Diablo and his brothers. Perhaps we can traverse this quest together?" he concluded, extending his hand in a sign of partnership. Korven still had his wand raised, warring with himself. On the one hand, Kyle was already more company than he was really comfortable with. But on the other hand, having another ally could prove useful in upcoming battles. Finally, Korven lowered his wand and slowly shook Ordan's hand.

"We have a deal, shapeshifter. But be warned: if you even try to double-cross us, we _will_ kill you." Ordan simply smiled.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Korven nodded, and Kyle, as well as the Skeletons, all lowered their weapons.

"I have heard that the gateway to Tristram lies in that direction," Ordan said, pointing north. "We should continue our journey with haste." Korven looked in the direction that Ordan was pointing, but could see nothing. After looking around and finding similar results in all directions, he finally gestured forward and said, "Lead the way." Nodding, the Druid slid his helmet back on and led them forward. Kyle followed, not entirely trusting the man, and Korven and his minions brought up the rear. Korven was rubbing his hand against his pants, muttering about "animal lovers and their lack of cleanliness" under his breath so Ordan wouldn't hear him.

After several more battles and some mediocre treasures later, the party found a pedestal in the middle of the wilderness. On that pedestal was a moldy book.

"Come now, we must find the gate to Tristram at once!" Ordan said, continuing on. Korven shrugged and took the book anyway, thinking it could be useful. After catching up with the Druid, Korven leaned towards Kyle, something he was not particularly sure he wanted to do.

"Is he even leading us in the right direction?" he whispered.

Kyle whispered back, "Suprisingly, yes." Korven frowned at this, but simply shrugged and tried to keep up with the taller man leading him.

After a while of traveling, they finally found five large stones towering over them. But they were not alone.

Guarding the Cairn Stones was a team of Carvers, blue-skinned cousins of the Fallen, but just as cowardly. In the center of them was another Carver, but its skin was tinged dark blue, and it had an air of authority to it. Aiming with his wand, Korven muttered the Teeth spell, killing three Carvers. Between Korven's wand, Kyle's arrows, and the combined montage of Korven and Ordan's minions, all that was left was the leader.

"Koo bik nat Rakanishu!" it shouted, pounding its chest defiantly. Rolling her eyes, Kyle nocked another arrow and shot it at the Carver, piercing its throat. But as it fell to the ground, its body shot out sparks that electrocuted the minions. The Skeletons remained silent, but the wolves yelped in pain, and then whimpered.

Pulling out the scroll that Akara gave him, Korven laid his hand on one stone. It started glowing light blue, and gave of a hum of energy. Korven touched another, and the same happened. Then another. And another. When he touched the last stone, the humming intensified. Fearing for his life, Korven dropped the scroll and ran outside the circle. Electricity arced between the five stones, before striking in the center of the circle, creating a crimson red portal. Confident to face whatever was waiting for them on the other side, Ordan pulled out his mace and walked boldly into the portal, his pets following him. Not quite so confident, Korven waved his wand over himself to try a new spell.

"_Mortuus contego_," he chanted. Then, bone dust creeped out from the bodies of the slain Carvers to form three plates of bone that spun around his body. Looking back at the portal, Korven turned to Kyle and gestured towards it.

"After you," he said. Kyle looked at the red portal and raised her hand to it.

"No, no, after _you_," she replied.

"Ladies first."

"Age before beauty."

"_Go_."

"_No_." Korven groaned in frustration. He really did not want to do this, but she was being so difficult!

"Fine. As your master, I _order_ you to step through that portal." Kyle was obviously not pleased with this as she growled in anger.

"_Fine_," she said before stepping through the portal grudgingly. Grinning to himself, Korven sent his minions through before walking through himself. But what he saw almost made him vomit.

The town was destroyed. All the livestock were slaughtered. The buildings burned. Korven saw a decapitated corpse burning nearby, and saw the naked, burned body of a woman nailed to a building in an upside-down crucifixion. Granted, as a Necromancer, Korven was used to seeing dead bodies, but never in the vile and desecrated form that they were in now. Judging from the way she clung to her abdomen and the pool of vomit on the ground nearby, Korven deduced that she was not so strong-willed. Even Ordan had a tinge of green on his face.

Shaking his head, Korven walked briskly to the center of the town, where the weakened form of Deckard Cain hung in a gibbet. Suprisingly, there were no demons guarding him. Untying the rope, the three adventurers gently lowered him down. After breaking the lock to the cage, Ordan hauled the Cain's prone body over his shoulder. Cain stirred slightly, groaning in pain. Then they heard another groan, but not of pain. Limping from behind the wreckage, was the twisted undead form of what once was Griswold, the proud blacksmith of Tristram.

Gently laying Cain back down, Ordan wielded his mace as a bestial rage glistened in his eyes. He roared as his body shifted. His legs and his arms grew longer. His clothes melted into his flesh and became gray fur. His shield and mace conformed around his arms, turning them into vicious claws. And his face twisted and elongated as it became one with his wolf head helmet. His transformation complete, the werewolf stood and made a bone-shaking howl.

Unfazed by this attempt at intimidation, Griswold lumbered towards Ordan, his arms outstretched.

"_Dddddeeeeeeecccccccckkkkkkkaaaaaaarrrrrr…iiiiiii…hhhrrrrrriiiiiieeeeeeehhhhhh…_." he growled, although the blank look in his eyes and the blood on his mouth showed that his intentions were anything but friendly. Ordan, his wolves and Korven's Skeletons charged at the zombie, while Korven himself cast an Amplify Damage curse on him, making his flesh ripe for the flaying that was to come.

And come it did. Flesh was sheared off of Griswold like wool from a sheep. But he would not desist. Eventually, his slow fists managed to strike a Skeleton, destroying it. Red ghostly flames also started dancing around the heads of Ordan and the remaining minions.

Griswold swung at a wolf this time, crushing its head, before it disappeared in a wisp of smoke. Ordan took this opportunity to swing at Griswold, tearing his head off his body like a melon from the vine.

Shifting back into his human form, Ordan bent down and gently picked up Cain again.

"Let us escape from this hellish place," Ordan said. Nodding in agreement, Korven pulled out his Tome of Town Portal. He tore out a page and threw it in front of him, a blue portal appearing. When they appeared in the Rogue Encampment, Deckard Cain was immediately taken to Akara, where his wounds were tended to.

After making sure that he would survive, Akara turned to the three adventurers.

"He will be fine. Words cannot express how grateful I am that you brought Deckard Cain back alive. However, I hope that these will suffice." She gave a ring to Ordan and another to Korven.

"These rings will help you in your journeys. Ordan Lupis, yours will make your blows stronger and more accurate. Korven, yours will give you a natural resistance to fire, a weapon that many of Hell's minions will wield against you. And for you, Kyle," she said, turning to the Rogue, "I do not have a ring for you, but this amulet will enchant your arrows to burn your enemies with each strike." The three bowed and stepped out of the tent.

Later that night, Kyle had gone to her tent, and Ordan to sleep in the wilderness just outside the gates. Korven meanwhile was flipping through the tattered tome that he had collected earlier. Most of the pages had black and green spots where the mold had grown on it, and the ink washed out, making it illegible. But in the very back of the book, one page was white and crisp as if new, and the ink shone as clearly as the day it had been written. It read:

…_And so it came to pass that the Countess, who once bathed in the rejuvenating blood of a hundred virgins, was burned alive. And her castle in which so many cruel deeds took place fell rapidly to ruin. Rising over the buried dungeons in that god-forsaken wilderness, a solitary tower, like some monument to Evil, is all that remains._

_The Countess's fortune was believed to be divided among the clergy, although some say that more remains unfound, still buried alongside the rotting skulls that bear mute witness to the inhumanity of the living creature._

Shuddering at what the book contained, Korven closed the book and threw it into the fire. After watching it burn, he curled up against the chest to try to get some sleep. But the words he had just read, combined with the horrific images of earlier that day, would not let him rest that night.

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Well, that's chapter 4 for ya. Enjoy.

Remember to read and review!


	5. The Forgotten Tower

Disclaimer: I don't own Blizzard, I don't own Diablo, blah, blah, blah.

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Chapter 5 – The Forgotten Tower

After a sleepless night plagued with horrific nightmares, Korven stumbled his way to Akara's tent, where he saw Deckard Cain lying on a cot. Akara was kneeling beside him, patting his brow with a wet rag.

"How's the old man?" Korven mumbled, not quite awake yet.

"Better. He had many wounds, both internal and external, but my supply of herbs and potions has healed the majority of them." Nodding, Korven walked out to find some water.

After drinking and washing up, Korven made his way to the large blonde woman hammering at the forge in the back of the encampment.

The woman looked up and immediately set down her hammer and tongs. She stood up and flashed Korven a cheerful smile.

"Hi there, I'm Charsi. I'm the blacksmith in these parts. If you ever need to buy or repair something, I'm the girl to go to. What's your name?" she rattled, extending her hand. Korven, slightly taken back by the cheerfulness of the woman, simply said "Korven."

"Hi, Korven." Charsi said, not seeming to mind that the Necromancer didn't shake her hand. "You're clearing out the Monastery?"

"Eventually."

"Great. While you're there, could you grab my Horadric Malus from the barracks? I forgot it when we fled the Monastery." _Great, another errand to run_, Korven thought bitterly.

"I'll do that," he said, without the slightest hint of enthusiasm. Charsi's smile only grew bigger, if it was possible.

"Great! Now—"

"Have you seen Kyle?" Korven interrupted before the overly friendly blacksmith could rattle on again.

"Oh, yeah. She's over there," Charsi said, pointing towards the front of the camp. After muttering his thanks, he went to his hireling.

"Suit up, we're waking up the fleaball and going to the Monastery."

"Why are we taking the Druid?" Kyle asked curiously.

"Because if he activated any waypoints on his little adventure to acquire the Scroll of Infuiss for us, then it would drastically cut down on our travel time. Unless you're secretly a Zann Esu Sorceress who can magick us to the front gate, which I doubt," Korven said, grouchier than usual over his lack of sleep. Kyle frowned at his rudeness, but nodded as she grabbed her bow.

The pair walked out of the encampment to see Ordan sitting cross-legged underneath a tree, meditating. The wolves around him were still asleep.

"Does something trouble you, magician of death?" the Druid asked, his eyes still closed as the two approached him. Korven was momentarily shocked at how Ordan knew he was there, but brushed it off.

"Did you happen to see any waypoints when you went to retrieve the Scroll of Infuiss?" he asked. Ordan cracked one eye open.

"A great stone square in the ground, with circles and runes carved on its face?" he asked neutrally.

"Yes." Ordan closed his eye again.

"Unnatural things, they are. Yes, I have seen one." Korven's foul mood brightened slightly at this. If the shapeshifter had activated it, it would save several hours in travel time.

"Did you happen to activate it?" he asked.

"Possibly. How does one activate it?" Korven rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"You step on it, it glows blue, two little flames pop up," Korven said, his patience growing short. Ordan remained silent for a minute.

"Yes, I have activated one of these 'waypoints', as you call them," he said. Korven sighed in relief. Progress!

"Can you take us to it?" he asked hopefully. Ordan merely grunted in affirmation, but remained still. "Now?" Ordan sighed, then stood up.

"Very well." Together, they walked back to the encampment.

Ordan grabbed a Portal Scroll as he stepped onto the waypoint.

"I shall open a gateway for you when I arrive," he said. Then in a flash of light, he was gone. Moments later, a blue portal surged open in the center of the encampment. Kyle, Korven and his minions all stepped through the portal to step into a field full of trees and seemed to be smothered in an almost unnatural darkness.

"Welcome to the Dark Wood," Kyle said. "Watch your step; you never know if you'll trip on a rock…or worse." Kyle pointed in a direction. "This way will lead us through the Black Marsh. From there, we will make our way to the Monastery gate." From there, the three adventurers and their minions went forth.

After several hours of fighting Carvers, Goatmen, Skeletons, Corrupted Rogues, and small flying demons called Blood Hawks, as well as the acquisition of some magical items (including a ring that increased Korven's maximum Mana reserves, as well as a bow for Kyle that granted her the power of fire to her attacks), the trees finally opened up and the darkness lifted to reveal the midday sky, which in the lands of Westmarch, where it was cloudy almost every day, did not amount to much. The earth beneath their feet also got softer, and Korven smelled something that reminded him of the swamps of his homeland.

As they traversed deeper within the marsh and activating another waypoint, they saw a stone tower, in an extreme state of decay. As Korven looked at it, he remembered what he read from the tome the night before: _Rising over the buried dungeons in that god-forsaken wilderness, a solitary tower, like some monument to Evil, is all that remains_….

"We should check that out," Korven said, gesturing to the tower. Ordan looked at the tower in what almost looked like disgust, while Kyle looked at him in confusion.

"But I thought we were going to the Monastery?"

"I'm sure Akara wouldn't mind us clearing out a few more demons, now would she?" Korven said. Kyle remained silent, knowing he had a point. Ordan went down the ladder that led to the dungeons first, with his Spirit Wolves teleporting after him. Kyle went next, and Korven went last. But first, he unsummoned his Skeletons and his Golem, knowing that none of them had the intelligence to climb down a ladder.

Once Korven came down, the group was greeted almost immediately by the yellow cousins of the Fallen and Carvers called Devilkin. Screaming warcries and other nonsense in their strange tongues, the small demons charged, but were quickly cut down by Kyle's arrows, Ordan's claws, and Korven's spells.

The dungeon was small, and they quickly found the entrance to the second level. From there, they ran into more Devilkin, and a group of Goatmen led by a member of their species with green fur. It was imbued with the magical properties of ice, and upon death released a ring of frost that chilled the adventurers to the bone.

The third level was primarily filled with more Corrupted Rogues, led by one who called herself "Blood Knot the Mad." While she was significantly faster than her sisters, it still did not take long to cut her down, and Korven saw a charm hanging from what could barely be called her uniform. Korven pulled it off and placed it onto an Identify Scroll.

_Small Charm of Fortune. Like its cousin Greed, items of Fortune are designed to increase one's wealth. But instead of the increase of gold in a person's pocket, items bearing the name "Fortune" instead rely on the increased acquisition of magical items, which can be bartered at a higher price than normal items. However, like Greed items, Fortune is mostly sold by traveling merchants to townsfolk who are unaware of the merchant's wiles. Use with caution_.

Shrugging, Korven tied the charm to his armor and continued on to the next level.

The next level contained a new surprise: wraith-like beings that looked like spectral skeletons with magical wings. Their movements sounded like a rattling breath, and their very presence lowered the temperature of the room.

Ordan swung at one of the Wraiths, but it passed harmlessly through it. The Skeletons and Golem also attacked these ethereal foes, to no avail. Kyle shot an arrow at one. While the arrow itself passed through, the power of fire imbued by the bow had an effect on the Wraith, and it released an unearthly shriek.

Trying to remember his spells, Korven decided to try a new one. He pointed his wand at a wraith and said, "_Animositas cuspis_." Instead of a set of magical Teeth shooting out of his wand, a large spear of magical bone shot forth, tearing through two Wraiths, killing them easily. With this new, powerful spell, the rest of the Wraiths were dispatched easily.

When they finally reached the fifth level, they looked around, but saw no demons waiting for them.

They went into a different room. Nothing. Then another, with the same result. They entered a third room, and found a group of five Corrupted Rogues in the center of the room. And in the center of this group was a woman with blood smeared all over her curved body.

"Care for a blood bath?" she asked seductively. Or, it would have been seductive had it been uttered by any other being, but the demonic voice that resonated through the room sent a chill down their spines.

The group tried to turn around and run, but were blocked by a wall of fire that appeared from nowhere. They turned around to see the Countess grinning evilly.

"Your blood will boil," she said, cackling madly as the other women attacked. The three retaliated, Ordan with tooth and nail, Kyle with bow and arrow, and Korven with spell and minions. Within seconds, the Countess's minions fell. Before she could react, Ordan pounced on her and tore her throat out. This caused an inhuman scream to echo throughout the tower as a cloud of fog emanated from the corpse concentrated on a single area, and the stone floor slid away to reveal a shining gold chest. Korven kneeled down and opened it. The Necromancer started grinning madly when he saw that the fair-sized chest was full to the brim with gold.

A portal opened in the encampment and Kyle stepped out, followed by the two men hauling the loaded and rather heavy chest full of gold. They set it down next to the large chest that had served as Korven's bed for the past several days and sat down to enjoy their victory.

"Guys, who's that?" Kyle asked, pointing towards Akara's tent. The two men looked up to see a young woman step out of Akara's tent. She seemed roughly Kyle's age, with long dark hair and brown skin. She was dressed in a green skirt and blouse, her stomach and legs showing. She was carrying a staff, indicating that she was a mage of some type. The woman saw the three adventurers staring at her, and walked up to them.

"Hi," she said cheerily. Korven winced slightly, reminded of how Charsi acted that morning. "My name is Sylarria, and I am of the Zann Esu."

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Well, that's chapter 5 for y'all. Read and review.

And for those who noticed how Korven seemed to act a bit rude during the beginning of the chapter, when you take someone who already has a relatively short fuse, and give him a good case of sleep deprivation, and you have someone with very little patience and could snap at any minute.

And since I probably won't crank out another chapter within a week, Merry Christmas to all my readers. :)

Wow. Longest chapter yet. With the author's notes, it's over 5 pages long!


	6. Smiths and Ashes

As you may have noticed, it's been several months since I've last updated; a bit longer than usual. There are a couple of reasons for that; they are A) writer's block, and B) a Harry Potter fic that is getting better responses than this one. So, as a word of warning, output for this chapter will be _much_ slower for now. Yeah, on with the story now, I know….

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Diablo, I don't own Blizzard, blah, blah, blah….

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"_**Hi," she said cheerily. Korven winced slightly, reminded of how Charsi acted that morning. "My name is Sylarria, and I am of the Zann Esu."**_

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Chapter 6 - Smiths and Ashes

"A Zann Esu?" Korven said, disbelievingly. "Here?"

"Umm…yeah," Sylarria said hesitantly. "Why?" Instead of answering, Korven just held his head in his hand and muttered under his breath. "What? What did I do?"

"_What_ are you doing here?" Korven asked through clenched teeth.

"I summoned her here, Korven," Akara said behind them. "I believe that there is a phrase, 'strength in numbers'. And with the importance of your mission, you will need all the assistance that you can muster." With a muttered "Fine," Korven pulled Sylarria aside to assess her abilities.

"What's his problem?" Kyle whispered to Ordan. "I know that he's not the friendliest character, but this is unusual. Even for him." With the faintest hint of a smirk, Ordan replied, "You have heard of the Mage Clan Wars, correct?"

"Yes."

"During those times, whenever a Rathman priest would fight against or alongside a Zann Esu Sorceress, often their manipulations of cold magicks would shatter enemy corpses, leaving the Necromancers with no bodies to resurrect. This has lead to quite a bit of frustration, and consequentially, animosity from one to the other." At this, Kyle barely suppressed a snort of laughter.

Meanwhile, Korven was trying to ascertain the extent of Sylarria's abilities.

"So, what spells do you know?" he asked. Sylarria scrunched her face in concentration.

"Umm…I can cast fireballs, ice bolts, and some sparks of electricity. Oh, and I can cast Shiver Armor!" she replied. Korven sighed in frustration. _Of all the things the Zann Esu could have sent, they had to send a_ novice!

"What kind of equipment do you have? Preferably something enchanted." Again, Sylarria contorted her features as she concentrated on her answer.

"I have an amulet that increases my maximum mana reserves, a staff that enhances the power of my lightning attacks, and gloves that protect my hands from the cold," she said merrily. Korven rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Great. Now come, we have a monastery to clear. If we're lucky, then that portal should still be—" Korven paused mid-sentence as he saw that the portal leading to the underground level of the Countess' tower had vanished. "Damn it."

With the portal gone, the four adventurers had no choice but to go through the Black Marsh waypoint and continue on foot. Thankfully, due to their previous escapade, the path was relatively clear, with only a few monsters hindering them.

The entry into the Tamoe Highlands was largely uneventful, with strangely few monsters attacking them, and almost all of which were Carver. "The demons are going easy on us; don't complain," was Korven's response. When they were not killing monsters, Sylarria was trying to strike a conversation with Korven about the intricacies of magic. When he elicited no response, she turned her attention to Ordan, who responded in his ever-calm voice.

Eventually, the beaten path led them to their final destination: a monastery with two large, ornate oak doors. While Korven recast his Bone Armor, Ordan pushed the two doors open, swinging forth with a bang. Surprisingly, there were no monsters waiting for them on the other side.

They warily made their way past the monastery gates, where they found another set of doors leading to the outer cloister. With their weapons raised, the second set of doors swung open, revealing an open courtyard, with a grand fountain in the center. There was another waypoint next to the fountain. Beyond it was yet another set of doors.

"Beyond those doors lies the Barracks," Kyle said, her arrow still nocked. "There will surely be monsters there." Nodding, Korven turned to Sylarria.

"Perhaps you can open them," he said. Sylarria looked a little hesitant.

"O…kay," she trailed. She raised her staff towards the door and closed her eyes in concentration. With a bang, the doors to the Barracks swung open. Sylarria opened her eyes and sighed. With their weapons raised, they adventurers waited with bated breath. Soon, a small group of Devilkin emerged to see what opened the door. They were quickly torn down with arrow and spell.

They walked in and slew the Devilkin Shaman. All was silent in the front chamber of the Barracks.

"Well, that looks like every–AHH!" Korven screamed as he collapsed, an arrow protruding from his left shoulder. Everbody turned to see a lone Skeleton Archer standing at the far end of the room. Kyle shot an arrow at it, only to pass harmlessly through its ribcage.

"_Incendia_!" Sylarria shouted, pointing her staff at the undead being. A fireball shot out of the end of her staff and hit the Skeleton, exploding on impact. Kyle got on her knees to tend to the bleeding Korven, who lay on the ground groaning in pain.

"Here," Kyle said, pulling out an arrow and holding it in front of Korven's face.

"I'm not going to put an arrow in my mouth," the Necromancer protested, wincing in pain.

"Bite your wand then! But you need to bite on something to catch the pain while I extract the arrow," Kyle said angrily. Growling in anger, Korven took the arrow and placed it in his mouth. Kyle placed one hand on his shoulder and grabbed the arrow with the other. "On three. One, two, THREE!" She yanked the arrow straight out, causing Korven to scream in pain and bite the arrow almost cleanly through. Korven spat the arrow out and hissed in pain as Kyle poured a healing potion from his belt onto the wound, leaving only a pink scar and a hole in his armor.

"Thanks," Korven said as he stood back up. "I suspect that we'll be dealing with a lot more of those."

"Probably," Kyle confirmed. Korven sighed in irritation.

"Oh joy," he muttered darkly. "Let's get a move on then. These demons aren't going to kill themselves…."

And so the four adventurers plowed on. They killed countless Devilkin, Skeletons and even giant spiders that could kill a man with one bite (thankfully, they all died before they could bite anyone). But they were presented with another, more serious problem: they were lost.

"How big is this place?" Korven groaned, tired and frustrated.

"I don't know," Kyle said, leaning against a wall and trying to massage her foot through her boot. "I never took the time to explore the Monastery in its entirety." Korven sighed.

A short while later, they heard a metallic clanging in the distance.

"What do you bet that it's some big ugly monster wielding the very thing we've been sent to get?" Korven sighed.

"Ten crowns," Sylarria said without hesitation. Korven rolled his eyes.

"Deal," he said. He opened the door and they walked down the corridor. They peered around the corner to see a large, obese demon slaving away at a forge. In its hand was a small hammer that seemed to glow with magic.

"You owe me ten crowns," Sylarria whispered. Unfortunately, a whisper seemed to be all that it took to alert the demon of their presence.

"Who goes there?!" the demon thundered. "Come out, so I shall make weapons from your bones!" Sylarria shot an ice bolt at its foot, freezing it in place. As the demon roared in anger, Korven blew its leg off at the knee with a well-placed Bone Spear. Roaring, the demon swung its hammer wildly, hopping around on one leg, before falling and shaking the entire Monastery.

While it thrashed about, wolves and skeletons attacked its remaining limbs, and Kyle shot an arrow at its head, hitting it squarely between the eyes. The demon fell limp.

"So anyway, you owe me ten crowns," Sylarria said. Rolling his eyes again, Korven deposited ten gold coins into Sylarria's open hand and wrenched the Horadric Malus out of the demon's hand.

"We'll return this later," Korven said, sliding the surprisingly light hammer into his belt. "Now how do we get out of here?"

"Well," Kyle said, "to get to the Inner Cloister, we need to pass through the jails." Korven groaned in frustration. "But, I know a shortcut. Come."

After navigating several confusing passageways, as well as the monsters guarding them, they reached the entrance to the jails. Kyle ran her hands along the far wall, as if feeling for something. She pushed on a stone, and a section of the wall slid away to reveal a secret passage.

"Come on," she said, walking down the passage. The others soon followed. When they emerged on the other side, they squinted from the sunlight.

"Andariel first emerged from the depths of the Catacombs," Kyle said as Korven activated another waypoint. "We'll have to pass through the Cathedral to get there." The four walked to the doors to the Cathedral and swung them open.

The Cathedral was a small room, filled with ornate tapestries and candles. And standing in the center of the room, in front of an altar, was a skeleton. But this one was different than the ones that they had faced before. The bones were tinged blue, and while one hand had blue mist swirling around it, the other had green mist. Blue mist poured out of the eye sockets, while green mist spewed from its mouth. The skeleton raised one bony finger at the adventurers.

"_Vestri iter itineris vadum terminus hic letalis_," the skeleton hissed. "_Vos vadum non pervenio meus regina_." Kyle drew her bow and shot an arrow, which pierced the skeleton right through the eye socket. With a hollow laugh, it reached up and yanked the arrow out. Sylarria shot an ice bolt at it, freezing its leg. The skeleton laughed again as the ice absorbed into its body. "_Ego gratias ago vos pro vox, veneficus_." Ordan shifted into a werewolf and charged at the skeleton, claws bared. Ordan swung, but was blocked by a shield made of ice. The skeleton was knocked down, and the two wrestled for dominance.

"_Bis poena_," Korven chanted, cursing the skeleton. A loud cracking was heard as the skeleton's brittle frame began to splinter, so it brought Ordan's face down to its own and opened its mouth, bathing his face in noxious fumes. The Druid choked and gasped as he collapsed. The skeleton stood up to get an arrow in the forehead, followed by a Bone Spear, shattering it.

The remaining three ran towards Ordan, who began to shift back to his human form and began convulsing. Korven opened a portal and the three of them lifted the unconscious Druid through the portal and to Akara's tent. The aged witch poured a black, viscous liquid down Ordan's throat, and he fell into a fitful sleep.

"You arrived just in time, or I might not have been able to save him," Akara sighed. "Have you retrieved the Malus?" Korven nodded. Akara sighed in relief. "Then at least we have some good news." Then they left to leave her to tend to Ordan.

----

And I'm finally done. Enjoy.

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Bone Ash's dialogue:

_Vestri iter itineris vadum terminus hic letalis_ – Your journey shall end here mortals.

_Vos vadum non pervenio meus regina_ – You shall not reach my queen.

_Ego gratias ago vos pro vox, veneficus_ – I thank you for the power, witch.

----

All are from InterTran. All are loose Latin translations.


End file.
